Comments by "Ash Roskell" (@ashroskell) on "Only God Forgives - the Guardian Film Show review" video.
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Think you missed the, “point,” you were looking for? The film subverts of all our expectations, by not being the revenge movie, we are set up to expect. Our realisation is suspended, SO cleverly. The protagonist-family start out looking like anti-heroes. We even think that the brother character is going to free these women, or beat up the pimp. Later on, we realise that he really did want to, “f**k a 14 year old,” or even the pimp’s daughter. The shock of realising he was NOT kidding, and that they are a family of scumbags, is delivered through Christin Scott Thomas’ performance. She handled the exposition and pure, foul mouthed, “VILENESS,” so deftly. Gosling’s character has a twisted loyalty to his mom, which is never fully clarified; only hinted at, with the story of his murdering his own father, “with his bare hands.” By the third act, we have only just come to accept that this family comprises, “the villains,” of the piece. And this is Gosling’s conflict. The death of his mom, frees him, to pay the price and resolve his, “guilt?” “sense of justice?” Call it what you will. It was the Macbeth Family, getting their just desserts. But, we have to figure that out for ourselves. It will leave a LOT of Drive fans cold. But, I loved it
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